Ash Wednesday

ASH WEDNESDAY marked the beginning of 40 days of preparation for Easter. It is different from the other season of preparation, Advent.

Advent is like getting ready to receive a guest, whilst Lent is more of a total spring clean. Lent was also a time when new Christians were prepared to be Baptised at Easter. The tradition of ashing began when particularly naughty members of the community were dressed in rags and wore Ashes for 40 days as a sign of their repentance and as an example to the new Christians! Thankfully all that remains of this tradition is a small cross of ash on our foreheads. But it is still a sign of repentance – of a desire to change, to turn back and return to God and the people we have hurt with our sins. We ask Mary to pray that the ashes we received would be a reminder to us of God’s mercy, and that we should be merciful to one another as we say: Hail Holy Queen…